Musk said the Tesla truck would be "similar in size" to Ford's bestselling F-150, but "maybe slightly bigger" due to a "really gamechanging feature" he would like to add.

He posits a one-tonner with the performance of a sports vehicle but more towing capacity than a comparable petrol or diesel bakkie - but to make it a reality will be a daunting task, even if the technology is already in place.

We predict that one of two things is going to happen: either the Pretoria plutocrat is going to take the entire automotive industry by the scruff of its neck and drag it into the 21st century, or he's going to crash and burn in spectacular fashion while others, coming after him, reap the benefit of his vision and courage. Ford sold 807,379 F-series trucks in the first 11 months of 2017, making it the best-selling vehicle in the U.S., ahead of the Chevrolet Silverado and Ram Pickup trucks. But the whole timeline was thrown off by the Model 3 passenger auto, which was supposed to hit mass production in July 2017.

The entrepreneur also added that Tesla's cars would feature windshield wipers that change speed based on the intensity of precipitation "very soon" and that sustainable energy production with solar batteries would be a big focus for the company in 2018, along with "remaining Model 3 ramp".

Of course, there are still a lot of promises Tesla needs to address before it can even begin discussing the idea of a Tesla pickup truck. He did not offer any more specifics on the feature.